Alison Gropnik of The Scientist In The Crib claims that babies, especially toddlers, are like little scientists who constantly experiment with the way the world works. That’s why they’re always dropping spoons, smearing things on the wall, trying to provoke you with bad behavior and so on.

I took this video of Owl interacting with a new toy that I picked up at a swap meet. In under 5 minutes, I counted 14 separate scientific experiments, all unique, although some were repeats of previous experiments but with a new variable being introduced. It’s adorable and fascinating all at once. If you have a few minutes, check it out:

[vimeo vimeo.com/41460908]

If any of you have kids, I’d love to see 5 minute videos of their play. How many experiments can you spot? Post them on your blog, or in the comments here, and encourage others to do the same. Let’s observe the scientists at work!

2. Cpme to think of it, I can totally see myself or PH casually announcing “by the way, I ate all your candy today. Hope that’s ok,” to Owl in later years when he arrives home from school.

3. The thing is, I am also pretty sure that Owl would get hit by lines like this a lot, and would totally not take us seriously.

4. Especially since Owl should know that we would never be so cruel to him.

5. So maybe the really cruel thing is that these kids don’t TRUST their parents enough, if they actually believe their parents so quickly.

6. Then again, in what world does belief equal distrust? Am I really claiming here that Owl would TRUST us enough to ASSUME that we were LYING?

7. Seriously, how old are some of these kids? After a certain age, tantrums like these are totally unacceptable. I could see arguments, where the kids explain how hard they worked to gather that candy and why it was totally unnacceptable for their parents to steal it…

8. Like this kid. Hey, here’s one with sense. Way to go, kiddo, I like your attitude.

9. Aw, and you’re sweet to your little brother, too! I hope Owl ends up being as smart/arodable as you some day.

10. What a great video.

My biggest problem with this video is that it gives me traumatic flashbacks to an old childhood memory:

We were in line at the grocery store. Hanging on the impulse items rack was THE BIGGEST COOKIE YOU EVER SAW. It was the size of a dinner plate. It was awesome. I wanted it. Of course I wanted it.

And here’s the thing – my mother ACTUALLY SAID I COULD HAVE IT. My mother did not buy me impulse items. Ever. No candy, no sugary cereals. The grocery store was for her boring food purchases, not junk for me.

But this time was different. She said I could put it on the conveyor and I did.

I was bursting with unbelievable joy.

And then? When we got to the cash, the cashier just went and ATE MY COOKIE.

I started to protest and my mother shushed me, pointing out that we hadn’t paid for it yet and it was the cashier’s RIGHT to eat my cookie. So I stood there in horror and watched that terrible woman wolf down MY COOKIE.

I woke up with tears streaming down my face.

It was one of only three dreams I have ever had in my life that I woke up crying from.

When I tried to share my terrible dream with my mother, I felt that she did not fully appreciate the tragedy therein. She even seemed AMUSED!

Parents are heartless bunch, aren’t they?

So even while I’m laughing at these kids’ melodramatic reactions, I am remembering the four year old who cried over a fictitious cookie.

I also really hate videos of people being cruel to kids for fun.

Videos like this. I hate that video, because the kid did as he was told and was punished for it. That’s terrible.

So why do I find redeeming features in this one?

Well, I guess because I feel like the key to a good practical joke is a happy ending. That’s why it’s fun to tell the kids you’re going to Hawaii without them and then spring a surprise Disneyworld trip on them instead, but it’s NOT fun to tell them they’re going to Disneyworld and then tell them it was a lie.

Assuming that these parents didn’t ACTUALLY eat the candy, these stories all had happy endings, and the kids probably learned a good lesson in getting dramatic over something before you have checked all the facts.